Bandit's Guardian
by Durbe the Barian
Summary: "I am young, but in body only. Twice now has my soul been shattered, through the fall of my clan and the death of my rider. I am incapable of being made whole again. That is why I am known as Fallen." Sequel to Bandit's Origin.


**Bandit's Guardian **

**Angst**

**OC**

"**I am young, but in body only. Twice now has my soul been shattered, through the fall of my clan and the death of my rider. I am incapable of being made whole again. That is why I am known as Fallen." Sequel to Bandit's Origin.**

**(I OWN: Bandit! Guardian! Aquarii! Altair! Sirius! Lyra! THIS STORY!**

**I don't own: Zexal.)**

* * *

Bandit's Guardian

* * *

Bandit had remained in the village for nigh a full moon. His strength returned ever so slowly, frequently leaving him under the shade of trees, unless he recovered enough strength to move. He rarely ate when food was offered, only drinking when water was granted to him. The only times he ate was when Sirius forced a sweet-tasting substance down the beast's throat. It tasted horrible to he who preferred meat over bread, and Sirius no doubt took notice of his repugnance as the meal oozed past his teeth. However, there was nothing the boy could do to make it any easier. Medicine seldom carried a taste that tickled their taste buds, after all. Not to mention Bandit's wounds left him in a state where solid foods were rarely kept down, if at all.

Guardian never left Bandit's side during his long and difficult convalescence. She noticed when he shivered and encouraged him when he was forced to eat. When he wished to walk, she would allow him to lean against her shoulders so he would not fall on his way to the riverside. As a warrior, this was humiliation on a larger scale than he was accustomed to, but as a recovering beast, it was a humiliation he had to endure.

"Accepting help when your strength is lacking," Guardian once told him, "is not humiliation. It's humility."

To him, those words were either the nicest he heard since he failed to protect his rider or the most naïve.

He could not say with absolute certainty.

* * *

"Good morning, Princess," Sirius said with a smile. "How is Bandit-san feeling?"

Bandit opened his eyes a crack and looked over to Sirius. The boy was not dressed in the armor befitting one of his status. Rather, he was wearing a white shirt, black pants, and a pair of sandals. It was clear that the shirt was a hand-me-down from his father, as the shoulders fell on his elfin frame, yet he seemed to take no notice of it. His fingers had been wrapped firmly around the thin, metal handle of a wide wooden bucket, filled to the brim with cold water. In his other hand was a large bowl, a cloth covering its content to prevent it from being spoiled.

The black wolf grumbled and closed his eyes once more. He knew was rested beneath the whitened cloth.

"He is well," Guardian answered. "His strength returns slowly, but surely."

Sirius beamed. "That's good," he said, setting himself beside the great beast. "I was worried for a while there." He then slowly placed his hand on Bandit's muzzle. As Bandit was pretending to be deep in slumber, he chose to make no that the boy beside him fell for it.

Sighing, Sirius lifted the cloth from the bowl, his nose wrinkling as he took in the scent.

Sweet.

He was never overly fond of sweet things. Quite frankly, that was a flaw in his character he blamed entirely on his mother. She herself found sweets absolutely repulsive and Sirius had been told that he took more from her than he did his father.

Giving his head a quick shake to clear his mind, Sirius placed his hand near Bandit's maw. "Sorry, Bandit-san," he said softly, "but you're gonna have to eat this. It's the only way you'll get better."

Bandit quickly dropped his game of pretend and pulled himself away.

Sirius sighed. "I don't like this any more than you do, Bandit-san," he said, "but you're gonna have to open your mouth."

When Bandit failed to comply, Sirius grumbled and gripped Bandit's mouth, prying it open with great difficulty.

Guardian, meanwhile, huffed. "_Bandit, please stop giving him trouble. He is only trying to help you._" Her gentle words entered his heart, not his ears.

"_I accept no help from mortals,_" Bandit responded in kind.

"_Right now, you are in no condition to do otherwise._"

Eventually, Guardian's words rang in Bandit's heart and he did as was told. Giving in, he opened his mouth wide, allowing Sirius to pour the meal into his throat. Once finished, Sirius backed away and nodded.

Then Bandit swallowed, fighting past the gag reflex with a shudder. That which he had been forced to eat left a horrible aftertaste in his mouth. Sirius winced. "Sorry, Bandit-san," he said. Then he smiled and leaned forward, adding in a whisper, "Don't tell anybody, but I've never liked Okaasan's medicine meal either."

Guardian let out a chuckle while Bandit buried his face under his paws.

Chuckling, Sirius stood up, setting the bucket of water before Bandit. "Here. It'll help get rid of the taste." He stood tall, bowed, then walked away.

"He is a good boy," Guardian said, laying down beside Bandit. "Perhaps if you opened up to him more, you would realize that."

Bandit's answer was firm.

"No."

"And why's that?"

"Because."

That was as much of an answer as Guardian was going to get.

* * *

The cold, nipping nighttime air woke Bandit from his slumber. His eyepatch felt cold against his damaged eye, something that both comforted him and annoyed him to no end. Shaking his head furiously, he allowed a growl to erupt from his throat.

Sleep was what he needed desperately. Not early wake up calls.

"Bandit, I must ask that you remain silent. You shall awaken Sirius-sama with all that noise."

Bandit looked to the female wolf beside him. Resting under her fur and soft tail was Sirius. A small smile had been etched into his face as he slept against Guardian's paw. The mere sight of the child looking like a puppy made Bandit scowl. "Does this child do this often?" he asked.

"Before I met you, Sirius-sama would sleep beside me nearly every night," Guardian responded. "The only times he would not were when he was too ill or was needed elsewhere." She looked down to the boy with a loving gaze. "Ever since he succeeded in his dream, no home has been able to chain him down."

Bandit sniffed. "Child."

Guardian laughed. "Indeed, he is a child," she said, "but is that not the reason we protect these mortals? Because they are children?"

Bandit's eyes narrowed, the image of Altair flashing through his mind once more. His rider was no child. That much was an absolute certainty. Would a child fight for the family that was waiting for him? For the king whom his family served? Nay, Bandit mentally declared.

"Nay."

Guardian made no argument. She could tell that his one word carried with it far too much pain. So instead, she brushed her head against his own, catching him off-guard with her sudden display of affection. Then she lowered her head to her paws, falling asleep beside her rider.

After finally recovering from being stunned, Bandit shook his head and lowered himself to his own paws. However, instead of drifting off to sleep, he could not help but feel drawn to Guardian's soft, feminine face. She was a warrior, much like himself, yet she also had an air of grace about her. Even among his clansmen, never had he seen another quite like her.

Strange. That was the best word to describe Guardian.

* * *

A week later, Bandit regained enough strength to walk among his kin once again. Guardian no longer had to assist him from one place to another, allowing him to hold his head high once again. His shoulders would occasionally ache in remembrance of the attack that left him in such a pitiful state, but the throbbing sensation was like a stick against his face when compared to the other pains he had been forced to endure.

He could walk, but his stamina had yet to be fully restored, something he realized the hard way.

* * *

Guardian had forgotten the last time she had raced through the tall grass with Sirius on her back. Nigh three full moons, perhaps. Perhaps even more than that. Nevertheless, when Sirius revealed the thin leather saddle they used for only such an occasion, she leapt at the idea. Bandit, likewise, thought the tall grass to be a fitting place for him to regain his strength and stamina. So as he watched Guardian tuck herself into the saddle – with Sirius helping her, of course – Bandit quickly stood and said to Guardian, his voice reaching her heart, "_Allow me to accompany you._"

Sirius' face grew curious as Guardian and Bandit exchanged a quick glance. "_Are you certain?_" she asked, worry lacing her words. "_You have just barely regained your strength._"

"_If I continue to hobble, my power will fade away._" A scowl formed on his canine features as his weakness brought forth saddened memories. "_I refuse to be weak again._"

Sirius looked up to Guardian's face. "Is something the matter, Guardian?"

Guardian shook her head. "Bandit wishes to accompany us."

Sirius looked to Bandit. Then he repeated the fears that his partner shared.

Bandit's answer to this fear, however, remained the same.

He refused to be weak. This, he conveyed to Guardian, who conveyed it to Sirius.

Sighing, Sirius nodded his head. Who was he to ignore the request of one of Guardian's own?

* * *

The tall grass.

A carpet of lush jade that spread its beauty just outside the village. In all the places Sirius and Guardian frequented throughout their lives, that field was their absolute favorite. No houses or large animals as far as the eye could see. There, Guardian was free to stretch her legs without fear of harming people or being harmed by outside interference.

The only flaw in this spread of beauty, unfortunately, was that Guardian would run from sunrise to sunset, so long as she was allowed. And Sirius found that riding her for that long rendered him almost completely numb from the waist down. On one occasion, they had ridden for so long, Sirius found himself bedridden for three days straight.

Thus the saddle. Guardian had suggested it after the aforementioned incident and it did not take much prodding for Sirius to agree. It was a simple piece of work, as Guardian would not accept anything less; smooth and soft. Straps were fitted to slip under Guardian's legs and belly. The seat was flat and smooth to the touch. No scruff marks marred Sirius' hard work, nor did a single scratch.

A saddle fit for a princess. That was how he described it.

Guardian had to admit it. It was fitting. However, as his words could be taken another way, she could not help but joke with him and brush Lyra towards him with her tail.

* * *

Sirius and Guardian raced through the grass with smiles on their faces. Guardian's tongue flew out of her mouth, wetting her fur with saliva. Sirius let out a chuckle as he brushed his hand through her soft pelage. "Have you gotten faster, Guardian?" he couldn't help but ask.

Guardian looked up to her rider. "Perhaps," she said. "Either that, or we have forgotten the joy of running."

Sirius chuckled. "Good question." He then looked back, lifting himself slightly in his saddle. "I hope we didn't lose Bandit-san back there."

"He is a powerful beast," Guardian said with confidence. "Even in his state of recovery, I doubt we shall lose him all that easily."

As if to prove her point, Bandit jumped out from the tall grass, appearing beside Guardian in an instant. "_What took you so long?_" she asked with a chuckle.

Bandit let out a breath. "_This grass conceals you well,_" he answered. "_Lacking a proper nose, I would have lost you._"

"_I see._" Guardian increased her speed slightly, prompting Sirius to blink in confusion. "_Tell me, Bandit, do you think you have the strength to keep up with me?_"

Bandit nearly laughed. "_Are you challenging me?_"

"_What better way to surpass your limits?_"

Before Bandit could give his answer, Guardian barked and raced away. The only way Sirius was to prevent himself from falling off of his saddle was to grip Guardian's fur until it was nearly torn from her flesh.

* * *

Nearly an hour into their ride, Guardian finally slowed down enough for Sirius to fall from his place on the saddle. And he did, with a heavy thud. "I apologize, Sirius-sama," Guardian laughed. "A little competition does that to me."

"It's okay," Sirius said breathlessly. "You just surprised me, is all."

Guardian chuckled before turning to her shoulders. "You didn't render me bald, I hope."

"Don't worry. Your fur's all there."

"Good." Guardian's gaze was then directed to her fellow wolf.

Bandit was absolutely exhausted. His knees were knocking as he fought to keep his balance, his head hanging low with his tongue falling past his teeth. His tail was limp and sweat covered his entire body. "You look terrible," Guardian noted ruefully.

"_You don't have to worry,_" Bandit replied. "_I simply haven't ran like that for nigh ten years."_

Guardian shook her head playfully while Sirius blinked. "Why's that?" he asked curiously.

Bandit tensed.

"Sirius-sama?" Guardian asked, bending down beside him.

"Why haven't you run like that for so long, Bandit-san?" Sirius asked. "I thought all wolves loved to run free."

Bandit's shoulders went rigid, his eyes burning with rage. Sirius' one innocent question brought with it a cacophony of battle cries and death screams; blood-curdling shouts and groans of defeat. And with them, came memories.

Memories of failure.

Roaring like the beast he was, Bandit leapt forward, forcing Sirius against the dirt, the boy helpless under his paw.

Sirius paled, his breath catching in his throat. "B-Bandit-san!" he exclaimed, grasping at Bandit's paw. "Wh-What's the matter!?"

Bandit gave no answer. Instead, he narrowed his rage-filled eyes, saliva dripping from the tips of his teeth. His maw opened wide, horrifying the boy beneath his foot.

Suddenly, Bandit felt himself shoved away, releasing his grip on the young knight. Sirius rolled to his knees, coughing violently as he sought to regain his breath. Then Bandit regained himself and looked forward.

Guardian was in a battle position, teeth exposed from behind a curled lip. Her claws were digging into the ground, shoulders tense as she prepared to throw herself at the black wolf. "Calm yourself!" she said firmly. "'Twas only a question. If you do not wish to answer, simply say so! There is no need to asphyxiate the child!"

Sirius' body began to tremble as he peeked past Guardian's large form. Bandit did not seem swayed, rather, he appeared to be even more angered. Shaking his head, he forced himself to stand tall, disguising his fear behind his father's grin.

The very same grin Altair had worn when he first treated the large beast.

"I-It's okay, Guardian," Sirius said. "I'm okay."

"You're okay?" Guardian asked in mock disbelief. "Then what is this?"

She raised her paw slightly, brushing her fur against his face.

Blood.

"It's okay," Sirius repeated. "He just nicked me."

Guardian shook her head with a sigh. She knew of her rider's affection for her species, but he did not have to make it seem like such a small thing. Bandit had fully intended to injure him, if not worse. Had his rage grew stronger, the boy would have been left with a scarred face.

"Go home, Sirius-sama," she said simply.

"G-Guardian?"

"Go home. Have your mother treat your cuts."

Sirius sighed. Arguing with her was like arguing with a brick.

He was going to get nowhere.

Nodding his head, he looked over to Bandit apologetically, then walked away, his fingers gripping the bloodied tear in his shirt.

A tear neither Guardian nor Bandit noticed prior to him turning around.

Once he was out of sight, Guardian jerked her head towards Bandit, her eyes flashing with understandable rage. "Do not do that again," she said slowly, enunciating every syllable that passed through her mouth.

"Children should learn to stay out of the business of Wolves," Bandit responded, not at all remorseful for the damage he'd done.

Guardian hissed. "I must wonder who is truly the child."

With that, she whipped her head to the side and walked away, shoulders rigid as she vanished from his sight.

That left Bandit alone with his most unwanted thoughts and memories.

* * *

"Okaasan," Durbe called out, entering the house with a large bowl of vegetables, "I've got the vegetables you wanted for dinner."

"Good," Aquarii said, turning slightly to reveal a wounded Sirius.

Durbe had to fight against the urge to drop what he held in his fingers. "What happened?" he asked, color fading from his face as he set the vegetables on the table.

"It was nothing," Sirius said. "I just got Bandit-san angry, is all."

"Just got Bandit-san angry?" Aquarii repeated. "Sirius, if this was 'just got him angry,' I fear what his true temper would do to you."

Sirius lowered his head.

"Okaasan's right," Durbe admitted. "You need to be careful around him. He isn't Guardian and he is most certainly not Glorious Serpent."

"I know," Sirius sighed.

Aquarii stared, then gave a sigh of her own. "Well, at least you are aware of that," she said, pulling her hands away from his now-bandaged arm. "There. All finished."

"Arigato gonzaimasu." Sirius then proceeded to place his shirt over his shoulders once again. Unfortunately, the bloodied tear in his sleeve did little to conceal the bandages.

Durbe, meanwhile, inwardly sighed. "Bandit-san," he thought, "what did Sirius say that angered you so?"

Aquarii had an idea, though she had chosen to keep it to herself.

* * *

That night, Guardian laid herself down underneath her favorite tree, her eyes cast up to the argent moon. Most nights, she would be searching for the constellations with her rider. Both of them were fond of doing such things when there were no clouds to prevent it.

But not that night.

That night, Sirius was to be kept indoors until his wounds healed, as ordered by his mother.

Both understood her reasons. A single whiff of his blood would send most wolves into a frenzy, a truth she had been required to tell him more than once. The blood of a Tamer was not something most creatures would even think of passing up.

Unless they were like her father, who had reached the age where he appreciated the youth and not the blood; herself, who cared too much for the child to even think of tasting the blood; or Bandit, who was a Fallen.

Sighing, Guardian shook her head and stood back up.

A sudden sound of dead leaves cracking brushed against her ears, prompting her to look to the forest nearby.

The familiar black wolf hobbled out of the forest, exhaustion heavy in his eyes and legs.

"So you return," Guardian said. "I had come to believe that you would dwell in there for as long as my childish rider was out here."

Bandit looked around. "Where is the child?" he asked.

"At home, asleep," Guardian responded. "I shall be going there to stand guard. As a Tamer, his blood is most precious. And as my rider, his life is most precious. I'm sure someone like you would understand my feelings."

Bandit lowered his head. "I apologize," he said in a whisper.

Guardian was caught off-guard, though it did not show on her face.

"The boy merely asked a question, but it has been many a year since I attacked a human so recklessly." He lowered his head. "I apologize."

Guardian stared, but then sniffed. "I am not the one you must apologize to, Bandit."

Bandit raised his head. Guardian seldom looked as serious as she did then. "But the question is, **will** you apologize?"

With that, she walked away, shaking her fur free of any dirt.

Again, Bandit was left alone. Sighing heavily, he set himself under the tree so as to regain his strength.

Guardian certainly had a way with her words, that much was certain.

* * *

Apologies never came easy for Bandit. Especially for humans. Not even Altair had demanded apologies when something went wrong. Rather, Alrair had made it habit to give them, claiming things would not have gone the way they did had he trusted his gut and not his head.

So Bandit never once had to apologize to his human rider.

Perhaps that was his problem when it came to Sirius.

Regardless of how he looked at it, the child was not entirely at fault for what he had done. He had only asked an innocent question; one that did not deserve such a harsh response from the black wolf. Just as Altair had done before him, Sirius neither requested nor demanded an apology.

He gave it.

And that realization only left Bandit with a very sour taste in his mouth.

* * *

Neither Sirius nor Bandit conversed after that day. Sirius had attempted to initiate conversation with the intelligent beast, but Bandit would only turn away and shield his eye with his tail.

Anything to prevent him from looking the child in the eye and making him see Altair's face once again. He'd dealt with far too much pain already to have to see his dead friend in Sirius' face.

But that determination had been completely shattered when Lyra came rushing towards the town one afternoon with a pale face, a single cry escaping her lungs.

"Sirius-san! He fell down the cliff!"

* * *

Why Bandit had chosen to help Guardian search for her master, even he did not understand. A single look in her frightened eyes stirred something deep within.

A strong desire to never again see another Fallen born.

A want to never again witness the breaking of a wolf.

A need, perhaps, to make sure Guardian was happy.

Regardless of the origin of such wants, Bandit found himself sniffing the ground in search of the boy's scent. While he carried his father's blood, it felt to Bandit that Sirius had a unique scent, though whether he would call it an odor or an aroma, he didn't dare say. To say it was an odor would clearly incur Guardian's wrath, but to call it an aroma would imply that Sirius was beginning to grow on him.

And he would sooner eat dirt than give Guardian a chance for teasing.

So he lent Guardian his aid and used his nose to seek out he who helped him.

He found the scent before long, but that was but one problem solved.

The boy was bleeding.

And that was bad enough.

* * *

Sirius forced his arm to move as he gave his shirt a good, strong pull. The fabric tore free, allowing Sirius to use it as a bandage. "How stupid can someone get?" he asked himself, wrapping the cloth around his injured arm. "You'd think I'd know when to move away from something. Should have known that the land was weak near the cliff."

With a hiss, he gave the bandage a great tug, then tied the two ends into a knot, one end held firmly between his teeth. Once the pain began to lessen, Sirius sighed and fell against the bushes that had broken his fall. His eyes then began to close, a desire to rest grabbing hold of him.

Unfortunately, however, his moment of silence and recovery was destroyed by the sounds of wolves. He snapped himself awake, muscles stiff as he looked towards the source.

The wolves were of normal size, to be sure, but drool was falling down their chops. Their eyes were wide as their tongues slid across their teeth. Frightened, Sirius looked down to his hand.

Blood.

"No," he whispered worriedly. "Just great." He looked to the wolves and mentally added, "They're after my blood."

A single wolf swallowed in anticipation as Sirius tried to back away. It failed, however, as Sirius was already as far away as he could get. His skin paled as sweat poured down his temples.

Then one lunged at Sirius, claws bared.

Sirius made a quick attempt to throw himself to the ground, but no sooner than he succeeded did Bandit appear, throwing his paw at the attacking beast.

Growls rang out. Bandit grew tense, eye darting from one side to the next. "_What children_," he mentally snarled. "_Attacking the wounded_."

Naturally, Sirius was taken aback. "Bandit-san."

Bandit did not respond. Instead, he pushed himself onto his hind legs and let out a roar, daring them to attack.

Sirius saw the wolves take his dare, but no more.

The world blackened before he could see anything else.

* * *

If Bandit had thought feral wolves were bothersome creatures before, he most certainly thought it after their attack on Sirius. Like flies to dead meat, they jumped at Sirius, refusing to take notice of the black beast before them. Guardian crouched and snarled.

Bandit swatted them away with a single paw. He need not waste his strength on beasts that could not think. Any further attempts to so much as touch the unconscious boy were met with absolute failure. When they jumped, he forced them back, if not with his paw than with his shoulder. When they hissed and roared, he would become their worst nightmare.

Anything to keep them away. Altair would have never wanted Bandit to just sit there while his son suffered.

Within minutes, most of the pesky beasts decided that survival was more important than Sirius' blood.

They fled the scene, allowing Bandit a moment to breathe.

All except one.

A whelp, hardly a year old, with teeth sharp as knives. While most of the wolves battled against Bandit, he had snuck through the bushes, readying himself for a good meal. When Bandit had succeeded in pushing back most of the pack, he jumped through the air and dealt a blow to Bandit's right side.

His blind side.

To the ground he went, allowing the whelp to go for the unconscious boy. "_No!"_

The whelp's jaws opened wide, granting him the opportunity to sink his teeth into Sirius' flesh. Bandit quickly struggled to get back onto his feet. However, as a result of the attack, Bandit found himself to be slightly off-balance.

Just when he feared Sirius' days had reached their end, Guardian appeared and swatted her master's attacker in the nose. The whelp yowled, but quickly recovered. By that time, Guardian stepped over Sirius' fallen form, her fur standing on end. "You will not touch him," she snarled.

The wolf did not understand her, nor did it have the emotions to care. All it sought was the boy beneath the white wolf.

"Ike! Sirius!"

Just then, a white wolf, no larger than the whelp before him, with snapping yellow eyes appeared, jumping on the beast and rolling in the dirt.

Then a warrior slid down the cliff, silver hair peppered with dirt. A dagger was dancing in his fingers. As soon as he stood up, he looked Bandit in the eye. "Whoo!" he exclaimed. "You're bigger than I remembered!"

Bandit got back onto his paws and narrowed his eye. The boy before him was no older than 19, yet carried a childish air. He was as tall as Sirius was young, with the boy's head no doubt touching the man's shoulder. His eyes were snapping with an aquatic hue, a grin playing on his pale face. His black shirt lacked proper shoulders, being held up by three straps; one around the neck, one across his left shoulder, one across his right. A red scarf adorned his neck and leather gloves covered his hands. His feet were completely covered by rawhide shoes.

On his left pant leg was a white skull with its mouth hung open.

The sight, along with the torturous memories that followed, prompted Bandit to lower himself and snarl.

"Whoa!" the man exclaimed, hands raised. "Take it easy, Bandit. I'm a good guy."

"_How do you know my name?_" Bandit was not about to lower his guard, regardless of whether the man knew his name or no.

"You probably wouldn't remember me," the man said. "I mean, when you last saw me, I had to have been no more than eight years old."

Bandit chose to sniff the air around the man.

Strange. It was neither putrid nor sweet; neither like flowers nor like beast.

Bandit's eye widened.

It was the scent of death.

"_Antares._"

The man beamed. "You remember me!" he said happily. "Have to say I almost didn't recognize ya with that eyepatch on. Siri-kun's work?"

"Quite," Guardian said simply. "What brings you here, Antares," she looked to the white wolf that had chased the whelp away; "with that excuse of a Beast?"

"Is that my thank-you?" Antares asked. "If it is, I've seen better." Guardian quickly sent him a glare that made him continue with, "Okay, okay! I was coming to your village to talk to Sirius about a meeting with Shingetsu-sama, then I smelled the blood and came to check it out. I saw the wolves, saw you fight," he pointed in the direction the whelp had left; "saw the whelp, then decided you needed help. So I called Sirius to give you a hand. Happy?"

"With all except the fact you named that beast after my master," Guardian answered.

"How do you know Siri-kun wasn't named after the dog?"

"_Why is someone from Umbra Patriae here!?_" Bandit snarled.

"Aw," Antares whined. "You and Altair-sama used to call me 'Sprout' because I was too short for my name. Remember?"

"_That was before your king sent Altair to his grave._"

Antares winced. "Okay," he finally said, throwing his hands into the air, "I guess I deserve the lack of trust and everything. But seriously, don't you think we should help this guy?" Antares' eyes looked down to Sirius.

He had seldom seen the boy so pale. "He's not lookin' so hot."

Guardian nodded and pulled herself away from her master. Then she lowered her body so Antares could help Sirius get on her back.

But then Bandit said one simple thing.

"_No._"

When they began to object, he surprised them further by setting himself down and lowering his head to the ground.

Such was his silent demand.

"Place the child on my back."

Antares blinked. "I thought Wolves like you only allowed one person on your back and that was your rider."

Bandit snarled. "_I am a Fallen. Do I have the pride of a clan to act upon?_"

Antares shrugged, then did as he was told. Sirius winced at a sudden shot of pain in his arm, but little more. Then, when Bandit was certain that Sirius would be safe, he lifted himself up from the ground and started back home.

Guardian and Antares followed closely behind, the wolf he called Sirius vanishing from sight.

* * *

That night, Durbe and Aquarii worked to clean Sirius' wound. Antares watched, finding there was little else for him to do without getting in the way.

"So, your leader," Durbe said, wringing out a wet cloth in a bucket, "Shingetsu...he wishes to seek peace with the United Lands?"

"Yep," Antares answered with a nod. "Apparently, his old man did a lot of bad stuff to that nation, so he wants to make up for it."

"I fail to see why you would require Sirius' help."

"Simple. Shingetsu-sama wants some help in making sure negotiations go through nicely and he doesn't want a bloodbath. I mean, seriously, he wants to avoid war if at all possible. He's not like the last guy, if that makes you feel better."

Durbe simply examined the cloth for a moment. "I appreciate your words," he said, "but they do not instill me with confidence. Sirius is my brother and-"

The sound of Antares coughing prevented Durbe from speaking further. "Are you alright, sir?"

"Just a cough," was all Antares had to say with a wave of his hand. "So, Sirius is your brother and?"

Durbe sighed. "Sirius is my brother. And regardless of what you say or do, the fact is your previous king took our father away from the us."

"Well you don't have to yell at Shingetsu-sama for that."

"Nay. I do not. But I do not wish to see another of my family fall by the hands of a Shingetsu. Or any from your kingdom."

"You're talking as if we're all inherently evil."

"I do not."

"Yeah, you do. Look," Antares stood up; "you have my word as he who works under Shingetsu-sama. You shall not see another member of your family perish at an Umbra Patrian's hand."

Durbe was not all that convinced.

"Do I have to cross my heart and stick a needle in my eye or something to convince you?" Antares asked.

Durbe quickly held up a hand. "Nay. And that is only because I know you will do it."

"And blind myself? Even I'm not that stupid."

"Sometimes, I am given room to wonder."

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the house, Guardian walked up to Bandit's resting form. His eye was directed to the moon overhead. "Sirius-sama will recover," she said. "Thank you."

"You need not thank a Fallen," Bandit said, using his true words as Sirius was recovering indoors. "I only did what needed be done."

"In your eye. I saw the truth. You sought to help Sirius-sama. That is worthy of my thanks, if not my praise."

Bandit lowered his head.

"What is it, Bandit?"

"I have been thinking," Bandit answered. "Ever since I allowed that boy on my back."

Guardian's eyes gave the question.

Thinking about what?

He stood up.

"I am young, but in body only. Twice now has my soul been shattered, with the fall of my clan as well as the death of my rider. I am incapable of being made whole again. That is why I am known as Fallen."

Guardian blinked.

"I do not belong in this village, Guardian. Neither in this village nor with Altair's family."

"Then where do you belong, Bandit?" Guardian asked. "Amongst the foliage and mindless beasts, waiting for one to be fortunate enough to take you down?"

Bandit shook his head. No, that was not a life for him. It wasn't even a life at all. It had simply been him wandering around, wondering what to do next. And it cost him his eye. "I do not know," he admitted. "I simply know that I do not belong here. I failed Altair and it cost him his life. I cannot fail his children and allow them to fall as well."

With that, he turned and started for the forest.

"Bandit," Guardian began, "you claim to have failed Altair-sama. Is leaving his children when they could use your protection not failing him again?"

Bandit paused in his tracks, his paws sinking into the dirt.

"I knew Altair-sama far less than you did. But I do know that if he were here today, he would have told you to protect his family in his place. That is a certainty."

Bandit lowered his head. "I cannot risk their lives falling upon my shoulders. I have already borne too much pain."

"Then stop shouldering it alone, Bandit."

The black Wolf looked back. Guardian stood tall, looking far more powerful than she had been the day he first met her. "Accepting help when your strength is lacking is not humiliation. It's humility."

The words that she had spoken to him before.

Sighing, he hung his head, allowing Guardian to step forward. "I am not strong enough to protect those children," he said under his breath. "I did not succeed in protecting the boy today. Had you not been there, the boy no doubt would have perished. When I was fighting alongside Altair, I never allowed something like that to happen. I fear...all these years without the need have sapped me of the strength to protect anything."

"You do not need the strength to protect them alone." Guardian looked Bandit in the eye. "We can do so together. That is strength one alone can never achieve. Did Altair-sama not teach you that?"

A light grin tugged at Bandit's chops.

He had said something like that once. No doubt, Altair had taught that to Sirius, who conveyed it to Guardian.

"Aye... He did."

Guardian smiled.

That was one of the few times in Bandit's life when he had to admit to something he failed to notice before.

Guardian was a very strange Wolf.

And he meant that in the nicest of ways.

* * *

**D.T.B: So. Guess what's getting a sequel?**


End file.
